The present invention relates to an output control method and an apparatus for controlling output of image data imaged, for example, by a digital camera, and a storage medium in which a control program for controlling this output control apparatus is stored.
Generally, a television image may have a resolution lower than that of a printed image, but it must be displayed at a higher speed. Image data imaged by a digital camera (digital camera data) has a thumbnail image for such an application, and in some cases, this thumbnail image is used as display data to be displayed on a television receiver. That is, a piece of image information includes main image data having an original resolution and data of a thumbnail image that is a thinned image thereof, and mainly, the former is used as data to be printed and the latter is used as data to be displayed on a television receiver or the like.
In the above described thumbnail image, aspect ratios are generally specified in a standard. However, the aspect ratio of the above described main image is not specified. In the case where the aspect ratios of the above described main image and the above described thumbnail image are different, for example, in the case where a wide image is imaged, as shown in FIG. 3, an image in which a thinned image 302 of a main image is arranged in an external shape 301 with a specified aspect ratio is formed as a thumbnail image. Between the external shape 301 with the specified aspect ratio and the thinned image 302 of the main image, a black data (black frame) is put.
In the case where such a thumbnail image is used as data to be displayed on a television receiver or the like, when the whole of the thumbnail image is displayed as it is, there has been such a problem that the display image is not difficult to see since it is displayed together with the above described black data (black frame).
The present invention is made in view of such a problem included in the above described prior art, and it is an object of this invention to provide an output control method and an apparatus in which, when outputting image data on the display on a television receiver or the like, even in the case where the aspect ratios of a thumbnail image and a main image are different, an image with the aspect ratio of the above described main image can properly be output on the display.